Syracuse’s Common Council inaugurated three new members in December.

Second District Councilor Patrick Hogan, Third District Councilor Chol Majok and Councilor at-large Rita Paniagua were elected in November. The newly-inaugurated councilors bring diversity and community service experience to City Hall.

Majok’s landslide victory in November seated him as the first former refugee elected to the council. Majok fled civil war in South Sudan when he was eight years old.

Serving as the city’s former director of constituent services contributed to his desire to run for office, Majok said. Majok hopes to address unemployment, transportation and engagement needs during his tenure, he said.

Majok’s district includes the Valley, Southside and Outer Comstock areas.

“My district is very diverse,” Majok said. “And it would be a disservice for leaders in our position not to prioritize it.”

Paniagua first came to Syracuse in 2003 from Puerto Rico. As a leader within the Spanish Action League and later as a board member for the Syracuse City School District, Paniagua said she focused her work on issues directly affecting the community. Becoming a councilor was just the next step, she said.

“The thing is that it doesn’t matter where you come from,” Paniagua said. “When you do this kind of work, you’re advocating for every community.”

Hogan formerly served four terms as the city’s 2nd District councilor, but remained politically active through working at the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency and the Greater Syracuse Land Bank, he said.

Hogan will serve on the city’s Economic Development Committee. Like Majok, he emphasized the importance of job training in a changing industry landscape.

“After all these years of working for the city and the community, I still look at every day as an opportunity to do something better for the city of Syracuse and the central New York area,” Hogan said.

The Common Council has met several times since the start of 2020. Paniagua sits on a different side of the room than she once had attending council meetings as a constituent, but the work remains the same, she said.

Hogan and Majok expressed similar optimism for the upcoming year.

“Although the capacity of the work is a little bit different than what I had experienced, it is not that difficult,” Majok said. “It’s a lot of work, but I’m prepared for it.”

Published on January 14, 2020 at 11:44 pm

Contact Marnie: ammunozc@syr.edu